Big news coming out of the Arizona-Mexico Commission Fall Plenary Session taking place this weekend in Ciudad Obregon, Sonora. Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano announced that the Arizona Department of Transportation has agreed to partially fund expansion of the border crossing in Lukeville, AZ to help handle the vacation traffic traveling from Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point) back home to Arizona on weekends. ADOT will help fund two additional processing lanes, bringing the total to six lanes (including one commercial lane). Funding will be contingent on additional private money being raised from Puerto Peñasco developers and businesses, which is expected to be secured.
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The border expansion deal has been in the works for several months - prompted by border crossing waits back into the U.S. at Lukeville recently reaching up to four hours on regular busy weekends and six hours on holiday weekends such as Memorial Day - thus impeding tourism in Puerto Peñasco. As documentation requirements for traveling back into the U.S. become more stringent for U.S. citizens, the border waits are expected to increase even more as border agents take more time to process crossers. The expanded border crossing will help alleviate some of this congestion.
According to the article in the AZ Daily Star, Governor Napolitano has also asked the U.S. Customs & Border Patrol to fund adequate staffing of the expanded crossing lanes when built and to open up the border around the clock during busy weekends (instead of closing it from midnight until 6 a.m. as they currently do). This would further alleviate congestion.
From my discussions with CBP officials during the Border Governor's Conference in September, CBP has been ready to fund staffing for additional shifts and border agents if financing sources were located to expand the border crossing. Based on theses discussions, it seems that at least the adequate staffing part of Governor Napolitano's wishes should come true. It remains to be seen whether the border will be opened up for 24 hours a day during busy weekends.
In the article, Governor Napolitano also stressed that she has had discussions with Mexican officials about improving the entry lanes in Sonoyta on the Mexican side of the border leading up to the Lukeville border crossing. Several of my sources have indicated that a deal is close to being finalized to appropriate money from the Mexican side to significantly expand these lanes in order to better organize the flow of traffic up to the border. I will try to obtain more information on these efforts.
While it may seem counterintuitive to some that ADOT is appropriating money that will help tourism in Puerto Peñasco, the reality is that Puerto Peñasco and Arizona are inextricably linked through tourism and commerce. Many of the tourism dollars that are spent in Puerto Peñasco actually go into the pockets of the Arizonans who own and rent out their condominiums in the town. And many Arizonans have significant business holdings in Puerto Peñasco. Many of the Arizona tourists who currently travel to Puerto Peñasco would instead take their tourism dollars to San Diego if they have difficulty traveling to and from Puerto Peñasco - so Arizona's best alternative is to make some concessions to help Puerto Peñasco continue to thrive.
Another side benefit Arizona may see from continuing to help out its close trading partner to the south is increasing jobs for Mexicans, thus creating an incentive for Mexicans to stay in Mexico. The rapidly expanding service industry in Puerto Peñasco has created a windfall of new jobs for Mexicans. While these jobs won't stem the tide of illegal immigration, at least Arizona can say it is helping do its part.
However you look at it, this is significant news in the continuing development of Puerto Peñasco into a world-class vacation destination and addresses a top concern of many interested in the future of the town.
The Arizona Daily Star has the full article here.
I think that is fantastic to add lanes and hopefully staff them. However, when it takes four hours now, it is on sun. and usually just two lanes are open (staffed) and the other lanes are not manned! I wonder why?????? and why are there no port a potties???????????
Posted by: Jodie McMillan | January 08, 2008 at 09:48 PM